As copper prices remain high, thieves in Moore County are continuing to test the mettle of local law enforcement agencies.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, copper theft is a $1 billion problem. The demand for copper worldwide has caused prices to skyrocket over the past decade. In early November, copper prices surged to nearly $4 per pound.

And where there is demand, there is plenty of supply. Copper can be found in a variety of locations - construction sites, cell towers and heating and air-conditioning units. It is found in easily accessible materials like wiring and piping or tubing.

Capt. Richard Talbert, of the Moore County Sheriff's Office, attributes the rise in thefts locally to the hike in copper prices and the continued slow economy that has left many people out of work.

"We see some people who normally don't do stuff like this now doing it," he said. "People are just trying to survive."

In the most recent case, three suspects were arrested this past week for allegedly taking a large amount of copper wire from an Aberdeen man's property.

Christopher James Allen, 21, of Aberdeen, and Dustin Robert Bender, 20, of Carthage, were arrested Tuesday. Savannah Shay Waller, 20, of Carthage, was arrested Wednesday. Allen and Bender were both jailed, with bail set at $10,000 each. Waller received a custody release.

Talbert said sheriff's investigators re handling an ever-increasing number of cases in recent months.

"Now, we are getting about five cases a week," he said. "But it isn't just us, it's all the counties surrounding us. It's a national problem."

Copper theft has become an increasingly more common crime because it is abundant and often easily accessible. Copper is also easy to sell and difficult to trace.

"The biggest problem we've got is identifying stuff," Talbert said. "It's about impossible."

That is because the copper rarely has identification marks that allow law enforcement to track it back to its true owners, Talbert said. Thieves can easily make the new copper look like scrap and then sell it.

"There are a lot of recycling centers around, so they have plenty of places to choose from," said Jim Foster, assistant police chief in Aberdeen.

The Pilot was unable to reach representatives of several recycling centers in Moore and surrounding counties. Numerous calls were unreturned.

Foster and his department are currently investigating the theft of copper ground plates from cell towers within the area. Several similar thefts have occurred in the county as well.

"There is a lot more of that happening right now," Foster said. "It is becoming a bigger issues."

Cell tower sites are becoming popular because of their remoteness, lack of security and relatively easy access.

Can Be Deadly

While there may be plenty of perceived perks with stealing and recycling copper, it certainly comes with drawbacks.

First, not everyone gets away with it.

The Moore County Sheriff's Office has made at least 25 arrests over the past three months for copper theft.

Most recently, sheriff's investigators nabbed Dale Ray Lynthacum, 20, of Carthage, after receiving scrap tickets from Integrity Recycling in Montgomery County. Officers located a ticket in which Lynthacum transported 46 pounds of copper to Integrity's facility Oct. 22.

Lynthacum was arrested, charged with unlawful transport of copper and jailed. He is also facing charges in Harnett and Lee counties for larceny f air-conditioning units.

State law mandates that it is unlawful for anyone to transport or have in his or her possession on highways more than 25 pounds of copper unless that person has in his possession a bill of sale or a permit from the county sheriff to transport the copper.

In September, sheriff's deputies arrested Johnny Ray Sheffield and charged him in connection with theft of copper wire from 13 churches in the Robbins, Eagle Springs and Westmoore areas.

Sheffield, 31, of Robbins, was charged with 12 counts of misdemeanor larceny, 12 counts of misdemeanor injury to real property, possession of stolen goods, two counts of felony larceny and two counts of felony possession of stolen goods. He also faces charges filed by Robbins police.

Sheffield was accused of cutting copper tubes and copper wire from propane tanks and heating and air-conditioning units outside the churches. During that investigation, Sheffield admitted to breaking and entering and the theft of copper wire from old chicken houses in and around Robbins. He also told investigators about other unreported larcenies at local churches.

Sheffield was jailed, and his bail was set at $70,000.

Those attempting to make a quick buck off copper theft are risking more than just time in jail.

In August, a 23-year-old Raeford man died in an apparent attempt to steal copper from a power substation in rural Hoke County.

According to the Hoke County Sheriff's Office, William Joshua Reavis, 23, fell about 10 feet and was found dead by a friend. Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said at the time that Reavis was believed to be in the process of stealing copper wire when he apparently cut the wrong wire and was electrocuted.

'Doesn't Stop'

The most common recent targets for copper thieves are heating and air-conditioning units at area churches and businesses - a trend that is proving costly to businesses.

"When they start getting those heating and air units, you're talking a lot of money," Talbert said.

Thieves can get away with hundreds of dollars worth of copper by stealing the units and the copper pipes and tubings, but it costs businesses a lot more to replace or repair stolen and/or damaged units.

Talbert said replacing a stolen heating and air-conditioning unit can cost thousands of dollars, compared with the mere hundreds of dollars that thieves may make from the copper coils in the unit.

For others, the theft is less costly but no less troubling.

Correan McNeill, owner of Correan's Beauty Shop in Cameron, had a six-foot piece of copper tubing cut from her propane gas tank at her business. She learned of the theft when she received a call from a neighbor whose daughter was at the bus stop near the store and smelled a foul odor.

"She called her mother and said, 'Mama, it stinks. Can I come back?'" McNeill said.

The odor was gas escaping from the tank. McNeill said she lost about 25 percent of the gas in the tank. The cost to repair the tank was less than $100, but she said the theft still bothers her today.

"It sort of makes you ill," she said.

One problem for law enforcement is the lack of stringent penalties for those caught stealing copper.

Talbert said revising guidelines for local scrap yards and how they must deal with law enforcement agencies must be addressed. Stricter penalties for offenders and those who don't cooperate with law enforcement agencies would also help, he added.

Talbert said increasing penalties for those involved in copper and metal theft might make thieves think twice before stealing copper.

Until then, he said, law-enforcement officers will continue to devote extra manpower and hours to curb copper thefts.

"We are working as hard as we can on these things," Talbert said. "When we make one arrest, it doesn't stop. It just goes on and on."

Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.